Whitehorse Trail

Trail Map

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Two sections of the Whitehorse Trail, which runs along a former Burlington Northern rail line, are currently open for use. The eastern end of the trail spans nearly 7 miles between Darrington and the historic Old Fortson Mill. West of there, most of the rest of the planned trail to Arlington is officially closed due to trestles and bridges lacking decking and railings. In 2013, one such bridge was improved, and another trail segment is now open from the link with the paved Snohomish County Centennial Trail in Arlington to the former Cloverdale Farm site in Trafton.

Frequently paralleling State Route 530 and the North Fork Stillaguamish River, the trail winds through a series of farm, forest and river environments, and contains several fishing access points and river bridge crossings. The route is very scenic with many views of the Cascade Mountains, especially Whitehorse Mountain, Mount Higgins, Prairie Mountain, and others.

The trail surface is mostly unimproved, so mountain bikes are recommended. Trail users should look out for patches of loose rock.

Additional sections of the Whitehorse Trail will open as funding is raised for decking and railing installation. As of Summer 2015, full completion of the 27-mile trail between Arlington and Darrington is tentatively scheduled for Fall 2016.

Parking and Trail Access

The trail ends in Darrington with access at the junction of Railroad Avenue and Price Street. There is parking on Railroad Avenue near its junction with SR 530. Additional parking is available at the Old Fortson Mill on Fortson Mill Road (west of Darrington) and at the former Cloverdale Farm site on 115th Avenue NE (Trafton).

Reviews

8.15.2016
A bit of web searching and Der Bear came up with a trailhead for the Whitehorse – a former farm out at a place called Trafton. After a morning surveying a trail at Langus Park in Everett, amid the sloughs of the Snohomish River, it was time ...read more

I always checkout the access to the Whitehorse Trail from Arlington when we ride the Centennial, and wonder what its like. I was out there last week and finally rode it.
First of all you will need a mountain bike, air the tires down, and lower the ...read more

The trail has no real changes since the other reviews in 2011. From the Centennial Trail out on Whitehorse the trail only goes about 3.5 miles before it abruptly ends in the back of a farm. It may go further than that, but on a Sunday morning I didn't ...read more